It’s not easy being green. The latest evidence comes from the push-back in Bergen County, where PSE&G has installed solar panels on utility poles, the better to capture some rays and direct energy into the power grid.

The utility will install 200,000 panels in more than 300 towns around the state, as part of its Solar 4 All program. Each panel weighs 60 pounds and generates 220 watts of electricity, replacing a small portion of fossil fuel-generated energy with clean, carbon-free solar power. And there’s a reason it’s being done now: In 2009, the state required power companies to get at least 23 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2021.

But some residents in Ridgewood, Oradell and Westwood are having a hard time seeing the light. They’re raising concerns about safety and calling the rectangular panels, which measure 2½ feet by 5 feet, ugly scars on the landscape. PSE&G says the panels are safely attached to the poles, about 15 feet off the ground, and will take responsibility for any damage the panels may cause.

As for the aesthetics, PSE&G has nothing to apologize for. If you want to see ugly, drive by the Linden oil refineries, those huge belching and smelly industrial moonscapes off Exit 13 of the Turnpike. That’s what it takes to transform fossil fuels into the gasoline that powers your car and the heating oil that warms your house.